Family Is Everything
by Mandy543
Summary: A case of mistaken identity leaves one member of the SRU in a dangerous situation.
1. Prologue: Brothers Forever

**Disclaimer: I don't own Flashpoint**

_Hi there! So, I've been watching Flashpoint for a while now, but never ventured out to try and write a story. I thought since it's now summer, I would give it a try. I can't promise regular updates because my muses come and go, but I will try my best. I hope you enjoy!_

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_All for one and one for all_

_My brother and my friend_

_What fun we have_

_The time we share_

_**Brothers 'til the end**_

_Author Unknown_

**Day 2 – 5:47pm**

"Put down the gun!" shouted Ed Lane, his own weapon trained on the fidgety man. The trigger just begged to be pulled and it took every ounce of his self-control to not do it. It was too dangerous anyways. He could accidentally hit the hostage. _Hostage..._ Ed berated himself for thinking that way. Besides, this was no ordinary hostage. "I said put the gun down!"

"Stay the hell away! I'll do it! I swear I'll do it!" screamed the delusional man. His face was all red from anger and streaked with dried tears. The man pressed the muzzle of the gun against his hostage's temple, his finger was not yet on the trigger, but all of the SRU members were still on their toes.

"Thomas, listen to me." The voice of Gregory Parker broke through the chaos. His voice brought a sense of calm to the entire situation. "You don't want to do this. Is this what your brother would've wanted?"

"Shut up! This is my brother! Do you understand? _My _brother!" The man now known as Thomas took a step towards the railing and everyone's hearts stopped. Now the fear was that he would jump with his hostage in tow instead of shooting him, not that the latter was any better.

"Please Thomas..." Greg raised both his hands up to show that he meant no harm. "Look down at who you have in your arms." Thomas complied and looked down at the blond, semi-conscious man he was holding a gun to. "You care for your brother, don't you? He's hurt. Let us help both of you."

"No! If I let him go, you'll take him away! I'll never see him again!"

"Boss, he's losing it." Ed whispered into his radio. "Anybody got a shot?"

The answers were not the ones Ed wanted to hear. All answers were 'no.' _Damn it. _Ed kept his gun trained on the Thomas, but silently hated how helpless the entire team was at this point.

"Thomas, I get it. You lost your brother and it wasn't fair. _It wasn't fair to you._" Greg voice quivered slightly and he hurried to regain his composure. "But look at who you're holding. Look at him real hard, Thomas. Is he really your brother?"

"I-I..." Thomas let out a sob and his grip on his gun loosened slightly as he looked down at his hostage. "Y-yes...he's my brother..."

As much as Greg hated to contradict the man's delusions, he felt he had no choice. It was time to be aggressive with the negotiations, but the fear that this whole situation would not be a happy ending was starting to rear its ugly head. Greg had never doubted his negotiation skills this much before.

"Boss, I got it. I can get a shot off." Jules voice crackled through the radio.

"Are you sure Jules? Nothing is in the way?" questioned Ed.

"Yeah, I got a shot."

"Jules...you have to be _absolutely_ sure." Greg muttered, quietly enough so Thomas wouldn't hear.

Jules placed her finger on the trigger and let out a deep breath. "I'm sure..." She prayed that she wouldn't have to take the shot. No, she prayed that Thomas wouldn't shift at the last second and her bullet would end up in the hostage. _Hostage...he's not just a hostage. _She could feel her heart speed up, her muscles started to tense up, her breath came out in short intervals. Her body was preparing for the imminent shot, but by doing so, it sabotaged her ability to keep her weapon steady.

"I-I'm sorry..." Thomas whispered before his finger flew to the trigger.

"NO! NO!" shouted Greg. "Don't do it!"

A gunshot rang out and then there was nothing but silence. Greg collapsed to his knees. All sound became nothing more than a muted buzz as he looked back to his team. The entire SRU team stood in a state of shock; they turned away from the scene for a few moments, exchanging looks with each other but for no real purpose.

This would be one case that no one would ever forget.

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_Very short I know, but hopefully it's gotten your interest! :) Stay tuned!_


	2. Chapter 1: A Bad Day

**Disclaimer: I don't own Flashpoint**

_So, I thought that I would put chapter 1 up along with the prologue because the prologue was so short. I hope you enjoy it!_

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_It's the bad days that make the good days seem even better_

_~Author Unknown_

**Day 1 – 7:00am**

Ed strolled in to SRU headquarters with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and a beige folder in the other. "Morning Kara." He gave a small wave to the dispatcher sitting at the desk. She was already in her uniform with a radio clipped onto her ear. It looked like she was already hard at work, shuffling paper around like a mad man.

"Oh hey Ed! You're in early!" she greeted the team leader with a smile.

Ed lifted up the beige folder in his hand. "Gotta finish up the report. Thought I would get in before everybody else. You know the moment this place gets filled up, no work gets done here."

Kara laughed. "You got that right. But you're not the only early bird. Greg got in just ten minutes ago."

Ed strolled up to the desk and leaned over to see what Kara was doing. Documents were littered all over her desk and messages were popping up on her computer screen every so often. "Seems like you got more work than we do."

"Ah, life in the SRU."

Ed smiled.

"Hey there! What are you doing bothering a hardworking member of our fine team?" Greg emerged from his office with a binder in hand. He slapped Ed on the back and pointed to the coffee. "You got one for me?"

"Sorry, you're stuck with the stuff we got in the break room." Ed retorted, sipping the coffee. "Ah..." he let out a content sigh meant to irk Greg.

"Whatever." Greg replied, with a small smile on his lips. "You know Wordy got in at 6 sharp?" Greg put a hand on Ed's shoulder and was already starting to lead him towards the workout room.

"Wha-? Do none of you guys sleep?"

The trio let out laughs which echoed throughout the SRU lobby.

**.**

Sam walked into the small coffee shop and was promptly greeted by the friendly waitress. Susan was her name. Sam would come in every morning before work and order a full breakfast with a coffee. He came in so often that many of the staff knew him and considered him a friend and Sam considered them friends as well.

Sam plopped down at the counter and let out a sigh and picked up the menu just to fiddle with as Susan attended to several other customers before coming over to him.

"Mornin' Sam! The usual?" she asked with that ever present smile on her face.

"You know me so well. How's Joseph?" He asked motioning to the ring adorning the ring finger of her left hand.

"He's a sweetheart. He wants me to stop working, you know? Says that with what he's makin' he'll be able to support us both."

"Really? You two thinking about starting a family?"

"Nah, not just yet. We just got married a month ago. How 'bout you? How's your dad?"

"He's still my dad. We haven't talked since he found out I left the army."

Susan gave a small nod. She knew that Sam wasn't very close with his family and it always made her feel guilty when she talked about her husband. Talking about how she had someone there for her every night while Sam went home to an empty house just didn't seem right. It was even worse that Susan lived just a couple houses away from him. Yet, Sam would always be the one to bring up the topic up first. It always confused Susan. Maybe hearing about her life somehow made Sam feel better, but she couldn't see how.

"Well, you still got me!" She said, pouring a cup of coffee for him.

He let out a chuckle. "That's all I need." He said and raised the mug of coffee in a mock toast before taking a sip.

The door to the coffee shop opened once again and this time a young man with tousled blond hair walked in. He scanned the diner, seemingly looking for someone until his eyes landed on Sam. He took a seat next to Sam while Susan busied herself by making another pot of coffee.

Sam raised an eyebrow when Susan asked the guy what he wanted to order and he just muttered something he thought was 'the full breakfast.' Sam and Susan exchanged looks before the latter headed to the back to place the order. Sam recognized the kid. He would come in almost every morning and sit in one of the booths near the back of the diner, so it was odd that he would sit at the counter this time around.

"You alright?" Sam asked, noting the bags underneath the kid's eyes.

"Uh...yeah, yeah." He muttered as his blond locks dropped down in front of his eyes.

Sam didn't think anymore about the kid when his food came. He just thought the kid was the quiet type and didn't want to press any further in case it agitated him too much. As he ate, he would look up every so often at the blond kid. He would only look for a few seconds to avoid getting caught, but it didn't seem to matter since the kid's mind was clearly somewhere else. The kid hadn't even touched his food, instead he was playing with it, pushing the eggs around the plate. Finally, he got up, deciding it was time to leave. He practically bolted out the door leaving behind only a handful of money and a plate full of food on the counter.

Sam looked down at his plate which had been cleared of food. Susan came back out from the kitchen with a fresh pot of coffee and offered some to Sam who shook his head. "I gotta get to work. Thanks anyway." He moved to get his wallet from his back pocket, but Susan stopped that.

"It's on the house."

"Really?"

"Go on. Get outta here. Won't your boss be mad if you're late?"

"Thanks Susan. See you later."

Susan watched as Sam left and peered down at the still full plate of food left by that strange blond kid. _What a waste of food. If you're not going to eat, why order?_

**.**

Outside, Sam was walking back to his car when he heard a commotion coming from down the street. It was still early in this part of the city, so barely anyone was out on the streets except for Sam. His police instincts kicked in and he ran towards the yelling. Coming upon an alley, he saw the same blond kid, surrounded by four thugs, being pushed around. The kid looked terrified as he was shoved to the ground and kicked in the stomach, but he remained silent as the thugs continued their assault.

"Hey! Hey! Get away from him!" shouted Sam as he rushed over, shoving one of the thugs against the wall. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Sam immediately regretted his actions as the four thugs started to advance on him. Of course, his military training kicked in and he easily blocked and countered two of the thugs' hits. As the fight continued on, Sam failed to register that one of the thugs had picked up a piece of discarded wood from the dirty ground. Struggling with one of the thugs, he suddenly saw stars as a pain radiated across his head. He collapsed to the ground as he felt something warm running down the side of his head. _Blood? Damn it..._ But his attackers weren't finished and continued to kick the downed SRU member. Everything went white as a foot connected with his left cheek and Sam let out a groan. Then one of the guys stomped on his left leg a couple times as if for good measure. As he laid there, he felt hands all over his body searching for something.

"Hurry up man, he got anything?" whispered one of the thugs.

"Here's his wallet. And- holy crap! He's a cop!"

"What?"

"He's a cop! He's got a badge!"

"Well, for a cop, he didn't put up much of a fight."

If Sam could have laughed, he would have. _Didn't put up much of a fight? Didn't I just bash in your face a couple minutes ago?_

"Whatever man, what do we do with them?"

"Screw it, Tommy won't tell anyone, will you?" The thug looked down at the still frightened blond kid. Even though he received no answer, he knew the kid wouldn't say anything. "Just take whatever he's got and let's get out of here. The badge too!"

Sam heard as the four ran off, presumably with his money and badge. _Damn it, now I have to explain to the boss what happened to my badge._ And with the head wound he had right now, just thinking about doing so caused his head to throb. "Hey..." he said, his voice cracked slightly. "H-hey...Tommy right? Can you call the cops?"

The kid didn't answer. Instead he knelt over Sam and touched the head wound.

"Ah!" Sam let out a hiss. "What are you doing? Y-you need to call the cops."

The kid's face came in and out of focus. Sam figured that was the head wound doing its job. His eyes struggled to focus on the kid, but he was losing the fight with consciousness. He felt Tommy's fingertips prod his wound again before two arms slipped under his and started to drag him away.

"W-wait...w-where are you taking me?" He asked, his tongue was slowly refusing to cooperate. The pain started to escalate again as Tommy dragged his body across the disgusting concrete ground, his left leg was on fire as it was jostled along the uneven ground. Sam was thrown into the backseat of a car; a car which he had noticed before but didn't pay much attention to when he ran into the alley. _The kid's old enough to drive? _Not like that fact really mattered now. Sam was more worried about where he was being taken.

The driver door swung open and Tommy plopped down in the seat. Slamming the door shut, he looked back at Sam and noticed the pain etched on the man's face. He reached over to the passenger side and opened the glove compartment.

Sam watched with half open eyes as Tommy reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a small syringe. Tommy uncapped the small object and flicked out the air bubbles before leaning towards Sam. Sam pulled back but quickly cursed at himself as his leg protested the sudden movement. "Son of a..." He squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to will away the fire that was starting to creep up his left leg. He felt a sharp prick in the crook of his arm and his eyes flew open to see Tommy emptying the contents of the syringe into him. "W-wha-" Sam didn't get to finish his question since he broke out in a coughing fit instead.

"I-It's just morphine." Whispered Tommy as he placed the cap back on the empty syringe and threw it back into the glove compartment.

Sam tried to sit up but failed, so he just allowed himself to be spread out across the back seats. The drug was kicking in fast as the world started to turn into a mess of muted colours. Sam let out a soft groan, not because of the pain, but because the pain was actually starting to fade. He let his head fall back onto the seats and allowed the darkness to take him.

**.**

**.**

**9:00am**

"Ok ladies and gentlemen. I hope all of you got a good night's sleep." Greg said and looked at the smiling faces of his team. "Where's Sam?"

His team looked to each other as if one of them would miraculously produce an answer. Not surprisingly, there was no answer. Greg frowned. It wasn't like Sam to be late. And if he was going to be late, Sam would have called in to say so. As he pondered on what to do, Ed spoke breaking his train of thought.

"I could give him a call. See where he's at."

"No, no. I'll do that later. But first, let's get this meeting over with. It looks like it'll be a slow day, so we'll be on patrol. I assume that that's all fine with you?" It was a rhetorical question. No one could really complain when it was a slow day, especially with all the emotional cases they often dealt with. "Alright, Ed you're paired off with Jules. Wordy, you're with Spike. And Leah, you're with me. Kara will keep us updated if there are any hot calls. Got it? Good. Let's keep the peace people!"

As the team split off into their respective pairs, Greg pulled out his cellphone. "Leah, why don't I meet you down in the car. I'm just going to give Sam a call."

"You got it, Greg."

After he dialed Sam's number, Greg listened it ring and ring...and ring...until it reached the voicemail. _This is Sam Braddock. Leave a message and I'll get back to you._

"Sam, it's Greg. We're just wondering where you are. It's not like you to be late. Give me a call back."

Hanging up, Greg couldn't shake off that uneasy feeling which had clung to him the moment he realized Sam wasn't present.

**.**

Consciousness wasn't kind to Sam Braddock. His eyes slid open but all he saw was a blurry mess. Blinking a few times, his vision cleared just enough that he was to make out a moving figure in front of him. "T...Tommy..." He parched throat wasn't quite ready to allow Sam to talk. He felt a hand slide under his neck and lift his head up while a glass was pressed against his cracked lips. Cool water slid down his throat, soothing Sam's discomfort just a little bit.

"W-where are we?" Apparently, the water wasn't enough as Sam broke out in a coughing fit. A hand was placed on his chest, trying to push him back down on the sofa.

"My place. A-are you ok?" Tommy asked.

"My leg..." Sam said through gritted teeth. "..Hurts." Sam brought his right hand up and was surprised to feel bandages wrapped around his head. Tommy didn't say anything as Sam tried to sit up, instead he just pushed Sam back down. "Why didn't you call the cops?"

"Because they would've taken you away from me."

"What?" _Away from him? What was this kid talking about? _His thoughts were interrupted by the shrill ring of his cellphone. Tommy jumped slightly from the sudden noise and quickly searched Sam's jacket for the offending object. Finding nothing, he moved on to search the pockets of his jeans. Finally, he pulled out the sleek black cellphone and set it off to the side. "That's probably my work calling. They're gonna get worried when I don't show up today."

"Cops are bad. I don't know why you became one, Jason. I thought you wanted to be a doctor."

_Jason?_ Sam gave his head a little shake. The morphine still had its claws dug into him and every moment it threatened to pull him back into that sweet unconsciousness. "J-Jason? Who's Jason?"

Tommy looked at him as if he had sprouted a second head right then and there. "You are." The answer was so simple yet brought so much confusion for the blond SRU member.

"No, I'm not Jason. My name is Sam Braddock. I-"

"Shh... you should go to sleep."

Sam's eyes were already drifting shut when Tommy started to run a hand through his hair as if he were petting an animal. As much as Sam wanted to stay awake, his body was telling him to shut down and rest. Besides, it wasn't as if he was in any immediate danger. His breathing evened out as he slipped back into sweet bliss.

**.**

Greg looked at his cellphone again. Leah didn't miss the fact that her boss had peered at his cell for the third time in the last half hour. "Expecting a call, Greg?"

Greg smiled. If any of the other members had been in the car, he was sure that they would have objected to Leah calling him 'Greg' instead of 'Boss.' The fact was that Leah was yet an accepted member of Team One made him uneasy as the kinds of call they dealt with everyday needed absolute teamwork and trust. But he knew he could trust Leah, and he knew that eventually she would learn how things worked in their unit. Hopefully, the team would accept her soon. "Yeah, Sam hasn't called back."

"I'm sure he's fine. He can take care of himself."

Greg nodded. "Yeah..." he said quietly as that uneasy feeling started to creep up once again.

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_Hope you liked it! Leave a review with your thoughts please!_


	3. Chapter 2: Unwelcome Hot Call

**Disclaimer: I don't own Flashpoint.**

_Hi there! I was so happy when I logged in and saw reviews! I'm glad that all of you like the prologue and first chapter so much! So, I just want to thank:_

_****__THelocker,__ **Justicerocks, tinesy05, Nicole, Sakari-chan, 1Flashpoint Fan , and S Vogelsinger**_

_And of course, I want to thank everybody who this story to their alert and favourite lists! Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy chapter 2! :)_

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_Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family:_

_Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one._

_~Jane Howard_

**Day 1 – 1:23pm**

Greg ran a gloved hand through his hair before replacing his SRU cap back on his head. When he said that it was a slow day, it really _was _a slow day. They had patrolled the streets but surprisingly there hadn't been any 'hot calls' so far. He pulled out his cellphone, hoping that Sam would have called by now. There was only disappointment as his cellphone displayed no messages.

"He still hasn't called?" asked Leah, breaking the silence which had filled the car for last half hour.

"No." Greg shook his head in frustration. That feeling of uneasiness had been gnawing at him for the entire day and the sergeant was about ready to snap. "It's not like him." He muttered to no one in particular.

"Listen Greg, it's a slow day so far. It's almost lunch time. Maybe we should swing by Sam's and check if he's alright."

Greg placed his head in his hands and thought about the suggestion for a few moments before nodding in approval. Switching on the radio earpiece, he alerted the rest of the team of their plans. "Alright boys and girls, why don't we take a lunch break?" he said, his voice showing no signs of worry, instead there was nothing but the cheerful Greg Parker that the team all knew well. "Leah and I are gonna head over Sam's place and check what's keeping him."

"Maybe he partied too hard last night, boss. One too many drinks?" Wordy's voice came through on the radio causing Greg to let out a soft chuckle.

"Yeah well... Guess who's going to be cleaning out the weapons if that turns out to be true." Replied Ed.

Chuckles broke out amongst the team. "Enjoy your lunch guys." Greg said before switching off his radio. With one look to Leah, the newest SRU member sped up just a little, knowing that the quicker they reached Sam's place, the quicker Greg's uneasiness would be quelled.

**.**

_It's hot._

_It hurts._

_I'm tired._

Sam's eyed slid open, the world falling into place piece by piece. His surroundings were still sideways and he deduced that he must be still lying down, except this time, he was sure he was on a bed and not on the sofa anymore. As he moved to bring his left hand up to his head, a soft _clink _brought his attention to the appendage. A pair of handcuffs shackled his hand to the bed post, restricting his movement. Not like he was going anywhere with the injuries he sustained. After a couple more tries, as if the handcuffs would be gracious enough to release him, the bedroom door opened and Tommy walked in.

"T-Tommy..." he rasped. Before he could say anything else, Tommy wrapped his arms around the battered cop's body and pulled him close. Sam let out a soft hiss as a sharp shock of pain stunned his body for a few seconds. "Agh...!" Immediately, Tommy released him, allowing his body to fall back onto the soft bed.

"I-I think that your head wound might be getting infected, but don't worry, I can fix you." The boy said, an excited smile on his face. "Here..." Tommy dipped a white towel into a bowl of water and wrung out the excess water before placing the cloth on Sam's forehead.

The cold towel was more than welcome and Sam let Tommy know that by allowing a soft moan of appreciation slip past his dry lips. His tongue felt swollen and too large for his mouth as he tried to speak once again. "It's hot..." he whispered and blinked a couple of times. The drugs were starting to wear off, but Sam was still far too weak to make an escape.

"I know." Tommy said quietly. The boy fiddled with his fingers before beginning to unwrap the bandages around Sam's head.

As Sam watched through half-lidded eyes, he saw bloody bandages being dropped to the ground. Suddenly, the pain returned with a force so strong that it caused Sam to screw his eyes shut and his ears to ring. "Argh!"

"Shh..." Tommy continued to clean the wound, trying to be as gentle as possible. "Almost done..." he cooed.

His voice was oddly soothing and calm for a kid who had just kidnapped an officer. "W-why are y-you keeping me here?" Sam asked, his mind furiously fighting the effects of the drugs at this point.

"They said you were dead." Tommy said, his voice cracking at the confession. "I-I was so sad when they told me you died...b-but then I saw you." He made sound which was like a cross between a laugh and a strangled sob. "I saw you in the coffee shop, and you were alive!" Tears streamed down the blond boy's face, messing up his otherwise perfect face. "I was so happy. I don't want to lose you again..."

"Listen Tommy, I'm not who you think I am." Sam said as the young man finished bandaging up his head wound. Tommy was already reaching over to the nightstand and picking up another syringe. "W-wait..." Sam struggled against the handcuffs, but there was no chance that the restraints would give anytime soon. There was a sharp prick in the crook of his arm before the liquid rushed through his veins.

"It's antibiotics." Tommy said, answering a question which was never uttered in the first place. "Sleep will help fight the infection." He started to get up to leave.

"Wait!" Sam tugged at the handcuffs. "Who's Jason!"

Tommy's head tilted to left and an eyebrow raised up in confusion. "You are."

If his throat wasn't so sore, Sam would have let out a low growl. "Then who am _I _to _you?_"

"You're my brother."

**.**

Greg's head shot up when his eyes caught sight of a familiar car sitting innocently on the side of the road. "Hey Leah, stop the car."

The woman complied and pulled the car off to the side of the road. The moment the car came to a stop, Greg was already of out the vehicle and heading towards a black SUV sitting a couple cars ahead of them. She watched with curiosity as Greg cupped his hands to the driver side window, peering into the obviously empty car. Getting out herself, she walked over. "What is it?"

"It's Sam's car." The sergeant stated, flipping open his cellphone and dialing Sam's number again. When it went straight to voice mail, he resisted the urge to chuck his cellphone to the ground and give a couple of good stomps. He snapped his phone shut and took a look around the city block.

It was quite busy since it was lunchtime now. Citizens crowded the streets while the roads were just as congested with cars of all kinds of makes and colours. It seemed like a rather safe area to Greg. Small local businesses such as grocery markets, convenience stores, and a small coffee shop dotted the block. Leah was unsure of what her boss was looking for, so she waved her hand in front of Greg's face, breaking his concentration.

"What is it?"

"I think something's happened to Sam. It's just a gut feeling, you know?" Greg went back to scanning the streets. "Sam doesn't live too far from here. Why don't you head over to his place? Maybe he walked back to his place. I'll stay here and see if anyone saw him this morning."

Leah just nodded and hopped back into the standard issued SRU car. With one last look at Greg, she started the car and drove off, leaving the team sergeant still searching the streets for some unknown thing. When Leah was out of sight, Greg decided the best place to start his search would be the coffee shop. _Morning...breakfast...it makes sense..._

When he walked into the coffee shop, all the patrons turned and stared for a few moments before quickly turning back to their food. Greg realized that it was probably all his uniform and vest he had on which drew such curious looks. Walking up to the counter, he took a seat away from most of the customers and waited until the waitress came over.

"Hi there, officer. What can I get for ya?" The bubbly waitress asked, a smile plastered on her lips. Greg could tell it was a genuine smile, not one of those fake ones that say '_I hate my job. I'm only here to get a paycheck.' _He thought that she would probably be the person most willing to help.

"Hi..." Greg looked at her name tag, hoping that using her name would make this a lot less awkward and show that he wasn't bringing any trouble. "Susan! My name is Sergeant Gregory Parker with the Strategic Response Unit. I'm here about one of my guys and-"

"Oh god, did something happen to Sam?" Susan set down the coffee pot in her hand and covered her mouth, conveying genuine shock.

"You know Sam?" _That was not nearly as hard as he thought it would be._

"Well yeah, the guy comes in almost every morning. Orders the full breakfast and a cup o' coffee. He was just in this morning. Is he ok? Oh my god, he's not in the hospital or something?" She gasped as a more terrifying thought entered her mind. "He's not...dead, is he?"

Greg held out his hands, motioning for the brunette to slow down. "We don't know what's happened to him. We've been trying to get ahold of him all day. Was he...alright when he left here?"

"Yeah! I told him that his breakfast was on the house. When he left, he was fine! Had a smile on his face and everything!"

"Was there anything off today? Could be something off about Sam or maybe something that broke the normal, everyday routine."

Susan started to shake her head until realization dawned on her. "Well, Tommy came in today. Usually sits in the back, but he sat in the front this time. Right next to Sam. The kid was muttering to himself and left a full plate of food. But he's a good kid. Never causes any trouble. But..." Susan's eyes shifted downwards and Greg's profiling instinct kicked in.

"Susan, whatever you tell me can help me find Sam." He said, reaching out and grabbing her hand. The contact would establish a connection between the two, showing Susan that Greg was the good guy and he was there for support.

"Look, I don't think Sam ever notices, but everytime Tommy comes in, he always looks over at Sam. Even when he's eatin', he looks over at him. I never said anything because the kid never did or said anything. But you can't possibly think that he had anything to do with Sam being missin'. Like I said, he's a nice kid."

Greg shook his head. "No, it's not my job to accuse people. I need proof and right now, from what you're telling me, Tommy seems like a nice kid. _But_ I have to track down every lead, so I will be needing to talk with Tommy. Do you have his full name?"

"Uh...Thomas...Thomas Branson. Yeah! That's it! Thomas Branson!"

Greg jotted it down into his notepad. "Thank you very much, Susan." Just as he got up to leave, Susan grabbed his hand.

"Hey, tell Sammy that he'll get another breakfast on the house. Just come back safe."

Greg smiled. This woman really cared for Sam, not as a lover, but more like a motherly-type. "You got it..."

**.**

Leah knocked on the door for the third time. When no one answered, she leaned over the staircase railing and strained to peer through the window, hoping she could see someone moving around inside. _Nothing._ Just as she was about to knock again, a voice from behind startled her slightly. She turned around to see the next door neighbour standing on her front porch, watching the woman through judgemental eyes.

"What are you doing?" The red-haired woman asked.

"My name is Leah Kerns with the Strategic Response Unit." She replied, pointing to the patch on her uniform sleeve, then pulling out her badge. "I'm looking for Sam Braddock."

"Well, he left this morning. I haven't seen him since. Is...is he alright?"

"We can't seem to find him. Any idea what could've happened to him?"

"This area used to be pretty safe...now more and more druggies are clogging up the streets. Police don't do a damn thing. They just let the filth roam and pray that they will eventually die off."

Knowing what the woman was insinuating, Leah quickly retorted. "He can take care of himself. Are you friends with Sam?"

"Yeah, he's a really nice guy. Helped me mow my lawn when I broke my leg. But he's real hurt, you know?"

Leah raised a slender eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"His dad hates him for leaving the army. He hasn't talked to his parents in a long, long, time. He's got nobody here. He always sees me with my husband and he puts on smile, but I can tell...he just wants a family... I mean, if you really think about it, isn't that what everybody wants?"

Leah nodded. She had never thought about Sam that way before. _In need a something._ Sam had always put on a smile and bravado act at work. He never spoke about his family. He never spoke about his personal life in general. _Sam alone?_ He sure didn't act like he was alone when he was at work.

Her thoughts were interrupted when her cellphone rang. "Kerns." She answered.

"Leah, it's Greg. I need you to pick me up. I'm calling the rest of the team back to SRU headquarters."

"You got it Greg." She hung up and slipped the cell back into one of the many vest pockets. "Thank you for your time." She said to the neighbour and headed back to the car.

**.**

**.**

**5:45pm**

Greg sat at the head of the table, his hands folded over one another and propping up his chin. He let out a soft sigh. He had just finished explaining his interview with the kind waitress known as Susan. Wishing he had acted on his gut feeling which had been bugging him all day, Greg bolted up from his chair; a mixture of anger and frustration showing on his face. But these feelings weren't directed towards the rest of the Team One, it was directed towards himself. Staring out the window, the sun was getting ready to sleep for the night. Golds and reds danced off the multiple city skyscrapers, signalling that darkness would soon come.

"We'll put out an alert to everyone patrolling the streets tonight." Ed's voice cut through his thoughts. "I'll search by car. It's a long shot, but who knows. Maybe we'll find something." The team leader was already halfway out the door when Greg told him to stop.

"All of you should get some sleep. We can work on finding out where Sam is tomorrow."

"Boss-"

Greg lifted up a hand, telling him to stay quiet, and for once, not argue with him. "I'm serious, Ed. What good are we to Sam if we're half dead on our feet?"

"I'm not leaving Sam out there."

"We're not-"

"Team One! Hot call coming in!" Kara's voice said over the annoying siren blasting from the loudspeakers. "Reported armed robbery gone wrong in a convenience store downtown. Possibly several hostages!"

"Aw, damn it!" Greg swore quietly. This was _not_ the time for a hot call. He and Ed locked eyes and a mutual understanding flashed in both sets of irises. As much as Greg hated to forget about Sam, he would have to. They were still on duty, so they had a job to do.

"Boss..." Jules stood up, determination swirling in her eyes. "I can look for Sam while you guys deal with the call."

"No Jules, if there are several hostages, we're gonna need everybody. As much as I don't like it, we have to do our jobs and keep the peace. Alright?"

Even though they hated it, everyone nodded, springing out of their seats and running to suit up.

* * *

_Thank you for reading! Leave a short review (or a long one) with your thoughts on the chapter! See you next time!_

_By the way THelocker, I totally agree that there need to be more Sam-fics!_

_And ...1Flashpoint Fan, I'm sorry for misprinting your name. I couldn't add the period in between "Flashpoint" and "Fan" Hmm, and I'm afraid I'm not technically savvy enough to figure out why. Heh...anyways, sorry about that, but I really do appreciate your review!_


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